All posts by Nate

Summer vacation is flying by!! Whew! This week there a ton of performances to check out. For starters I have 2 gigs with 7MJ this FRI/SAT at Lake Point Yacht Club in Livonia (rocking room with a great patio). Then on SUN I am playing solo at a new venue, Gala Bistro in
Farmington (check out the shows page for more info). And on TUES I will be playing a second show at Vintage Tavern in Port Huron with Jon Vidal. I am very excited about this show since the first show with Jon and I as a duo went very well and I get to exercise my vocal chords
again. Vintage Tavern is a great listening room with incredible food, spirits and atmosphere. Even if you are not able to make this show I strongly reccommend heading out to Vintage Tavern for dinner, it is worth the drive!

Jenny Brady and I finished the promo video for AAW!! Video production was provided by Electric Image Studio. There are two versions, a 30 second and 10 minute. I am proud to announce that the song at the end of the
10 minute version was written and recorded by Jon Vidal and I at Studio 1946 and features Jillian Bundy AKA Jilly Mae on vocals! Watch out for Jilli! She is an incredibly talented young lady
that is destine for greatness. Her debut CD is in the finishing stages and will hopefully be ready soon. As for the video you can check
it out on the AAW YouTube page. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think. Also there are over 50 videos uploaded from the events at Arts Academy.

The summer has not been all work… My wife and I did manage to get away for a few days here and there. We spent 2 days in Saugatuck!
Wow! Amazing beaches. Wish we could have stayed longer but being only 3 hours from home hopefully we will get to cruise out there again before summer ends. We also journeyed back up to Alpena to visit with the family. Rejuvinating as always!

Summer vacation from AAW has begun… I am trying to unwind while getting ready for some great summer gigs. For startes this coming Tuesday, June 30, 2009, my good friend Jon Vidal and I will be performing our first gig together as an acoustic guitar duo playing tons of our favorite pop tunes. This will be my first attempt at lead vocals! We will also be performing our original solo material thoughout the night. The show will start at 8 PM at The Vintage Tavern in Port Huron. MAP

Also, 7MJ is booked just about every weekend till the end of the year. Check out the shows page to find a place near you. If you have suggestions for venues you think might be looking for some good entertainment email me the name and location and I will be very greatful for the leads.

As for everything else… I am still working on it… The 3rd CD is still in the works, Studio 1946 is still working on some great projects that I can’t wait to share with you, Arts Academy in the Woods is still accepting new students and to the best of my knowledge I will still be the guitar instuctor at AAW next year (although enrollment may be limited this year so please enroll early), I am still available for private lessons throughout the summer, and I am still working with Chuck Bartel & Jullian VanSlyke to put together more jazz performances.

This past Tuesday night I had the opportunity to play at Baker’s with a new jazz trio. My first time going to Baker’s was many moons ago when I was still in high school. It was a dream of mine all the way back then to perform on that stage with my own group… although I had performed many other nights in the past with other groups this was a milestone for me. Chuck Bartels and Julian VanSlyke made the music of that night one to remember! There are a few new vids up on the music page and maybe more to come from that night… Stay tuned as the venture unfolds….

Tonight was the first night that I took the time to record some first takes of some acoustic material that has been on the back burner for quite some time. The material is now getting revisited and polished up… Everything has been getting rusty due to time working and playing and recording with 7MJ. I enjoy all of the other music project that are going on it just makes a world of difference to do my own thing for a minute. Now that the ball is rolling and the fingers are pickin’ things are looking up!

Acoustic show tonight! I am really excited! I have not done an acoustic show in quite a while other than a song or two here and there. Not only am I playing an acoustic show, I am playing it at Bakers Keyboard Lounge, one of the most respected stages in the world of Jazz music. It is always such an honor to play there, but tonight is especially exciting because I will be playing my original music. I can’t wait!

Also, need to mention that this Thursday, December 18th is also a very big deal for me. The AAW Guitar Ensemble Holiday Concert will be a 7pm on The Woods stage inside Arts Academy in the Woods. While teaching was never my goal in life, it has proved to be one the most satisfying experiences in my life, especially at AAW. I am so proud of the progress of my students. Many other them have gone well beyond learning to play a few tunes or cords but have let music take over their souls. This concert will include all 5 classes playing together both holiday favorites as well as some of the other classic songs we have been working on throughout the year. This is a free concert that is open to the public. Even if you are not involved with this school or its students come check out the amazing things that are going on here! I promise you will be inspired!

So one of these days I am hoping will slow down just long enough for me to update the news regularly. Couple of quick announcements… I have added some new performances to the shows page, some with 7MJ (the top 40 cover band I have been working with for the last 2 years), some with the Cary Heller Quintet (an old friend that just recently asked to play some dates) and of course some for AAW and .

“The Woods” is a fresh, bi-monthly concert series and art fair dedicated to the advancement of the arts in the surrounding community. It is my intention to raise arts awareness in our community and encourage the creative pursuits of youth, while providing a safe, all-ages environment for their peers who come to see them. Check out more about The Woods at www.myspace.com/thewoodsartvenue

Also, I have recently finished building a home recording studio. This has been something I have wanted to do for many years and it is with great pride that I announce it is up and running. So far I have been recording a few close friends. While Studio 1946 is far from glamorous it gets the job done, and quite well I might add. I am very pleased at the results thus far (as soon as we have finished projects I will post some tunes for you to check out (assuming my good friends don’t mind of course). I haven’t quite found the time yet to work on my own tunes yet… but soon.